Apr 17, 2008 04:30 AM
Debra Black, Tess Kalinowski, The Toronto Star
$100,000 consultant looks at guns or Tasers for transit constables facing rising crime
The TTC is looking into whether its special constables should be armed with guns or Tasers.
A consultant’s review will cost the Toronto Transit Commission $100,000 to study its use-of-force policies, assessing if constables should “be armed with firearms, Tasers, that kind of thing,” said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross. Constables now can use pepper spray, collapsible batons and handcuffs.
The study into the use of Tasers and firearms was commissioned as part of an ongoing “standard review” of the special constable forces, TTC chair Adam Giambrone said. This “independent and comprehensive assessment” will be completed by the end of the year.
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Vancouver’s transit police carry Tasers; it is the only armed transit police service in the country. Tasers were used 10 times in the past 18 months in the city, including five times against riders who allegedly were trying to evade paying fares. An inquiry into their overall use begins next month in British Columbia. It will also examine whether transit police should carry the devices.
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